Folks, it’s Christmas time again. Christmas music may not yet be playing on the radio, naysayers may still be screaming obscenities such as “it’s only November 7th!” and “la la la la it’s Thanksgiving!,” but plenty of artists have already released their brand new Christmas albums in anticipation of the holiday season. And I, for one, am more than ready to feel the joy and merriment that the Christmas season brings.

One such album just so happens to be by the ever punny and absolutely wonderful Darren Criss. Criss is best known for his work on “Glee” and for his many leading roles on Broadway; however, if you haven’t fallen head over heels in love with him yet, his Christmas album is the perfect way to plunge into obsession.

As a whole, “A Very Darren Crissmas” (get it?) is the perfect holiday album. Criss’s intensely trained vocals provide the perfect tone for each of the various tracks on the album.

Criss was also sure to fill the album with a mix of both holiday classics and lesser-known Christmas songs, providing the perfect amount of sing-along-ness and what-is-this-I’m-instantly-obsessed-ness.

The album begins with the classic “Happy Holidays/The Holiday Season,” which instantly blasts listeners into the holiday mood. This is followed by Darren’s take on “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” a hilariously pop-y take on the classic song filled with intense passion and plenty of kazoo playing.

The best song on the album is easily the third track “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag [feat. Adam Lambert].” The first time I heard this duet, I about fainted. The dialogue, the harmonies, and the jazz all combine to create the perfect mixture of holiday joy and anticipation. This is followed by a passionate and beautiful cover of John Mayer’s “St. Patrick’s Day,” our first atypical Christmas song of the album.

Criss then goes on to sing a joyous and upbeat round of “River,” a song that I was not expecting to hear a cover of but has now become one of my favorite Christmas songs. Then, as if he hadn’t melted our hearts enough, he makes listeners cry with “Welcome Home,” a heartbreaking love letter to wherever you call home that instantly got added to my “As I Leave My Childhood Behind” playlist. I am still emotionally wrecked as I write this.

Next comes “All Those Christmas Cliches”: a self-explanatory and passionate song dedicated to everything we love about Christmas. This is followed by “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire,” which across delivers perfectly.

“Somewhere in My Memory (feat. Evan Rachel Wood)” is an outstanding classical tribute to the magic of family at Christmas time. This he follows with “Drunk On Christmas (feat. Lainey Wilson),” a perfect jazzy moment toward the end of the album.

He finishes out the album with a wonderful acoustic guitar rendition of “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” and the passionate ballad “New Year.” Both of these slow the reader down and bring on intense rushes of nostalgia, love, and joy. Each reminds me of the Holiday Seasons of the past and welcomes me into the next season with a big, warm, vocal hug.

All in all, Darren Criss’s album perfectly encapsulates each aspect of joy, comfort, and nostalgia from the entire holiday season. This album will most definitely be on repeat for the rest of the year, even as people yell “it’s November” or “it’s March” as I walk by.

If you believe in joy and magic, go listen to this album immediately. Its expansive discography and outstanding vocals make this the perfect way to bring out every emotion you’ve ever felt about Christmas and beyond.